Counter top construction



Fe 1961 M. E. ULLMAN, JR 2,970,872

COUNTER To? CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 2, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 50 2 44INVENTOR.

Mwaonu E. ULLMAMJR.

BY MM KM ATTORNEYS Feb. 7, 1961 E, ULL A JR 2,970,872

COUNTER TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 2, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 INVENTOR.Mwzou E. ULLMAN, J2.

Feb. 7, 1961 M. E. ULLMAN, JR

COUNTER TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 2, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 He. I3

INVENTOR. MYRON E. ULLMAN, JR.

ATTORNEYS Feb. 7, 19 1 M. E. ULLMAN, JR

COUNTER o? CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 2, 1958 INVENTOR.MYRON E. Uu. MA-,JI2

ATTORNEYS COUNTER TU? CGNSTRUCTIGN Myron E. Ullnran, In, (Ianfield,Qhie, assignor to American Radiator Standard Sanitary tCorporation, NewYork, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 2, E53, $81. No.765,661

11 (Ilairns. (Cl. 311-197) This invention relates to a counter topconstruction and particularly to counter top constructions for domestickitchens and the like. 7

In the present-day design of cabinets and other appliances utilized inkitchens, it is customary to provide a counter top on the appliancewhich may be used as a Work surface. When such a cabinet is pushedagainst the wall of a room, it is desirable to provide a sealed jointbetween the surface of the counter top and the wall in order to preventdirt, liquids and other foreign material from flowing behind the cabinetbetween the wall and the cabinet.

y In an effort to provide this seal it has been suggested that a backsplash unit be mounted on the counter top. When the cabinet having thisback splash unit thereon is pushed against the wall to bring the backsplash unit into contact with the wall, it often happens that the frontend 2,70,872 Patented Feb. 1961 Fig. 8 is a front elevational view ofthe right-hand por-.

tion of the cabinet construction shown in Fig. 1. 1

of the counter top is out of alignment with the front end of adjacentcounter tops on adjacent cabinets. v Alternatively, complex sealingconstructions may be used between the rear edge of the counter top andthe wall.-

Itis an object of this invention to provide a counter top constructionwherein the back splash is provided-by -a back-aligning member whichaccommodates to the variations and deviations in the wall, therebypermitting the front edges of the adjacent cabinets to be maintained inalignment.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel constructionfor sealing adjacent rear edges of counter tops at a corner of a room.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a counter topconstruction which is pleasing in appearance. It is a further object ofthis invention to provide such a counter top construction which may beeasily manufac- 'tured.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan section of a corner of a room having acounter top construction embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view on a slightly enlarged scale of a modified form ofthe invention.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on a greatly enlarged scale takenalong the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on a greatly enlarged scale takenalong the line 44 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on a greatly enlarged scale takenalong the line 55 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational view on a part of the sealing unitshown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view on a greatly enlarged scale takenalong the line 7-7 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an end cap used in the invention. Fig.10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 10--10 in Fig.3. i Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged sca'e takenalong the line l1-11 in Fig. 8.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a corner piece used in the counter topconstruction.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 13-13 inFig. 12.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken alongthe line 14l4 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the right endof the counter construction shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 4 showing therelative relationship of the parts during assembly.

Fig. 17 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 5 showing therelative relationship of the parts during assembly.

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 7 showing therelative relationship of the parts during assembly.

Referring to Fig. l, a room 20 comprises a side Wall 21 and an end wall22 which form the corner of a room. Cabinets 23, 24, 25 are positionedin the corner. The cabinets support and have rigidly fixed theretocounter tops 26, 27, 28, respectively. A back-aligning member 29 alongthe side wall 21 and a back-aligning member 30 along the end wall 22provide a seal between the rear edges of the counter tops and the wallsto prevent liquid and other foreign material from passing between thecabinets and the walls.

Back-aligning members 29, 30 are of identical construction and, forpurposes of clarity, on y the construction of aligning member 29 will bediscussed.

Referring to Fig. 3, back-aligning member 29 is generally S-shaped andcomprises a first part 31 and a second part 32. Part3l is made from athin sheet of material and comprises a U-shaped portion 33 having ashort longitudinally extending upper leg 34, a long longitudinal'yextending lower leg 35 and a vertical base 36 connecting the legs 34,35. A short first section 37 extends upwardly and forwardly from thefront end of leg 34. A second section 38 extends downwardly andforwardly from the end of first section 37. A third section 39 extendsupwardly and rearwardly in contact with the second section 38 and afourth section 40 extends upwardly from the rear end of section 39 andis curved rearwardly.

As show'n by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, the free end of the fourthsection 4.9 normally lies in the vertical plane spaced rearwardly fromthe plane of the vertical .base 36. However, the section if) hassufficient flexibility so that it is flexed when the member 29 ismounted on a wall as by a screw 4-1 passing through an opening 4-2 invertical base 36. The nose 43 formed by the bend connecting sections 38and 39 is spaced above the plane of the short leg 34.

Second part 32 of back-aligning member 29 is made of thin sheet materialhaving a lesser thickness than part 31 and comprises a first portion 44extending downwardly and forwardly. This portion 44 underlies and is incontact with section 38 of part 31.. Part 32 also includes a secondportion 45 extending downwardly and forwardly from the forward end ofthe first portion 44, a third portion 46 extending rearwardly andupwardly from the The third portion 46 has the first part thereof incontact with the second amma portion 45 and the remainder thereof incontact with-the third and fourth sections 39, 40 of part 31.

The upper end 47 of the second part 32 is bent over the free end ofsection 40 of part 31. Part 32 is made of flexible material. Before therear edge of counter top 28 is inserted in U-sha'ped portion 33, theportions 45, 46 of part 32 are in their untensioned state and extenddownwardly so that the distance between the lowermost part thereof andthe lower leg 35 is less than the distance between the upper leg 34 andthe lower leg 35. When the rear edge of counter top 28 is inserted intothe U-shaped portion 33, portions 45, 46 of part 32 are flexed upwardlyto the solid line position thereby providing a seal between theseportions and the upper surface of the counter top.

In assembly the base cabinets 26, 27, 28 are placed in position in thecorner of the room and fastened together. The back trim members 29, 30are then secured to the Walls-21, 22, respectively, at the properheight. The backaligning members 29, 30 will flex to accommodate tovariations in the surfaces of. their respective walls. The counter topsare then placed on top of the cabinets and pushed into the U-shapedportions of their respective back-aligning members. Durlng thisoperation the portions 45, 46 of back-aligning member 29 are flexedupwardly, thereby providing a seal with the upper surfaces of thecounter tops 27, 28. The front edges of the counter tops are alignedwith the faces of the cabinets without regard to the flatness of theWalls. In order to align the front edges, it may be necessary to pushone counter top into the U-shaped portion of the back-aligning mem 'berfurther than another counter top. After being aligned the counter topsare fastened to the topof the cabinets. Thus, not only is a sealprovided between the rear edges of the counter tops and the wall, but atthe same time the forward edges of the counter tops may be maintained inthe proper alignment.

A strip 50 is provided along the front edges of the counter tops asshown in Figs. 4 and 16 and is generally U-shaped and has a short upperleg 51 and a long lower leg 52 connected by an are 53 extending upwardlyand rearwardly. A finishing strip 54 of thin generally flexible materialis provided over the strip 50, one end 55 of this strip being turnedover the free end of the leg 52. A portion of the finishing strip 54intermediate the end 56 and the center portion thereof is folded againstitself to form a flexible lip 57. I

As shown in Fig. 16 lip 57, in the untensioned state, that is, beforethe strip 50 is placed over the forward edge of the counter top,normally extends downwardly at a slight angle so that when the strip 50is placed over the forward edge of a counter top, the lip 57 is flexedupwardly and forms a seal with the upper surface of the counter top. Asshown in Figs. 3 and 4 the counter 28 may include a layer 58 of moredurable material which, as shown in Fig. 4, terminates rearwardly of thefront inclined edge 59 of the counter to provide a space into which thefree edge of upper leg 51 projects.

A sealing strip 6B is provided between adjacent counter tops as shown inFigs. 5, 6 and 17 and comprises a central generally vertical portion 61,a lower generally horizontal arm 62 and an upper generally horizontalarm including a first section 63 and extending in the same direction asarm 62, and a second section 64 folded over section 63 and extending ina direction opposite from the arm 62. Arm 62, section 63 and portion 61form a U-shaped member for receiving the side edge of a counter top.

As shown in Fig. 17, sections 63, 64 normally, that is, before strip 60is mounted on the counter top, extend downwardly and outwardly fromportion 61 while arm 62 extends upwardly and outwardly from portion 61.Portion 61 has an opening 66 therein and the side edge of the countertop 28 has a corresponding opening 66a. Sealing strip 60 is mounted onthe counter top 28 by into opening 66a. The distance between the centerof opening 66a and the upper surface of counter top 28 is greater thanthe d.stance between hole 66 in flange 60 and the lip 64, so that whenthe screw is threaded into opening 66a the portion 61 is pulleddownwardly and section 64 is flexed upwardly to form a seal with theupper surface of the counter top. Counter top 27 is then inserted intothe U-shaped member formed by arm .62, section 63 and portion 61. Sincearm 62 and section .63 extend upwardly and downwardly, respectively, thevertical d.stance between their free edges is less than the thickness ofthe counter top so that when the counter top 27 is inserted in theU-shaped member, section 63 and arm 62 are flexed to form a seal withthe upper and lower surfaces of the counter top, respectively.

As shown in Figs. 1, 7,- 8 and 18 a finishing strip 70 is provided alongthe free right side edges of counter tops 26, 28 and is generallyU-shaped in section, the legs being in contact with the top and bottomsurfaces of counter top 28. As shown in Fig. 18 inthe untensioned state,that is, before it is inserted on the side edge of the counter top, thefinishing strip 78 has its upper leg 70a extending outwardly anddownwardly so that the vertical distance between the upper leg 76a andthe lower leg 7% is less than the thickness of the counter top '28. Whenthe strip 70 is placed over the side edge of the counter top, the upperleg 76a is flexed upwardly to provide a seal with the upper surface ofthe counter top 28. Strip 70 is held in position by a screw 71 passingthrough an opening 72 in the strip.

An end cap 73 cooperates with the aligning member 29 and the strip 70 toseal the end of the counter. As shown in Fig. 9 cap 73 comprises avertical wall 74, a curved forward flange 75 at a right angle to wall74, a vertical rearward flange at a right angle to Wall 74 and ahorizontal flange 77 at a right angle to wall 74.

Curved flange 75 extends upwardly and rearwardly and is provided with aspaced wall 78 which contacts the second part 31 of aligning member 29.Curved flange 75 is also provided with a lip 79 which extends downwardlyinto sealing cont-act with the upper leg 70a of strip 70. Horizontalflange 77 underlies the lower leg of strip 70.

As shown in Fig. 15 the rear edge of strip 70 telescopes within end cap73 so that when the counter top 28 is moved inwardly or outwardly inorder to align its forward edge with that of counter top 27, asatisfactory end trim and seal are maintained between the strip 70 andthe cap 73.

As shown in Fig. 12 a corner member 80 is provided to cover the areabetween adjacent back-aligning member 29 at the corner of the room. Thecorner member 80 includes a first generally horizontal portion 81 whichcontacts the upper surface of the counter top and a second upwardlyextending portion 82 having surfaces at a right angle to one another. Aperipheral upper lip 83 along the top edge of portion 82 extends intocontact with both walls at the corner. The upwardly extending portion 82of corner member 80 is provided with a spaced wall 84 along each edge toform a groove 85 for receivber 29 is shown in Fig; 14 wherein the memberis fixed on the rear edge of a counter top by means of a screw 86extending through the opening 42 in the base 36. If the wall is uneven,a wedge 90 may be placed between the rear edge of counter top 28 and thebase of U-shaped portion 33 in order to properly position the forwardedge 1 f the counter top and permit its alignment with the forinsertinga screw 65 through opening 66 and threading it 75 90 includes aback-aligning member 91 along its rear edge which is of identicalconstruction as back-aligning members 29, 30. End strips 70 and end caps73 are provided on the ends of the counter top and a front strip 50 isprovided along the front edge of the counter top. In this form ofcounter top the back-aligning member $1 is mounted on the wall and thecounter top may be shifted relative to the back-aligning member 91inwardly and outwardly to bring the front edge of the counter top 90into alignment with other cabinets or appliances.

It can thus be seen that there has been provided a novel counter topconstruction including novel means for providing a seal between thecounter top and a wall. In addition, novel means are provided forforming a seal between adjacent side edges of the counter tops, andnovel means are provided for closing the ends of counter topconstructions. The construction embodying the invention can be easilymanufactured at low cost.

The back aligning members 29, 30, front strip 50, sealing strip 6t],strip '70 and end cap 73 are preferably made of sheet metal which hasthe required degree of flexibility.

I claim:

1. A counter top construction comprising a pair of vertical walls atangles to one another, a plurality of generally horizontal adjacentcounter tops, a back wallaligning member extending across the rear edgeof said counter tops and another back wall-aligning member extendingacross the side edge of the endmost counter top which is adjacent thearea of juncture of said walls, each said back wall-aligning membercomprising a U-shaped portion into which the edges of the counter topsproject, each U-shaped portion including a generally horizontal upperleg, a generally horizontal lower leg and a generally vertical baseconnecting one end of said legs, each said back wall-aligning memberincluding a portion extending upwardly and rearwardly from the forwardedge of said upper leg, a corner member positioned on the rear corner ofsaid endmost counter top in the area of juncture of said walls, saidcorner member extending upwardly and rearwardly and including agenerally vertical slot along each vertical edge thereof, the upwardlyextending portion at one end of each said back wallaligning membersbeing received in one of said slots, sealer means between adjacent sideedges of said counter tops, and front trim means extending along thefront edges of said counter tops.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein the rearmost edges ofsaid upwardly extending portions of the back wall-aligning membersbefore said members are positioned terminate in a vertical plane spacedrearwardly from the vertical plane of said vertical base of the U-shaped portion of each said back wall-aligning member, said upwardlyextending portions being made of a material such that they may be flexedto bring the free edges thereof into alignment with the planes of thevertical bases thereof.

3. In a counter top construction, an integral back wallaligning membercomprising a U-shaped portion for receiving the rear edge of a countertop, said U-shaped portion comprising a short generally horizontal upperleg, a long generally horizontal lower leg and a generally vertical baseconnecting one end of each of said legs, said member including a portionextending upwardly and rearwardly from the forward end of said upperleg, and a resilient portion extending downwardly and forwardly from theforward end of the upper leg, said resilient portion having a partthereof projecting downwardly, the vertical distance between said latterpart and said lower leg being less than the vertical distance betweensaid upper and lower legs.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said back wall-aligningmember comprises a thin piece of sheet metal having generally uniformthickness, said resilient portion comprising a second relatively thinpiece of sheet metal mounted on said member and projecting downwardlyand forwardly therefrom.

member made from a single sheet of material of substantially uniformthickness, said member comprising a U- shaped portion for receiving therear edge of a counter top, said U-shaped portion comprising a shortsubstantially horizontal upper leg, a long substantially horizontallower leg and a substantially vertical base connecting one end of eachof said legs, said member including a longitudinally extending sectionextending upwardly and forwardly from the forward end of said upper leg,a second longitudinal section extending downwardly and forwardly fromthe forward edge of said first short section, a third longitudinalsection extending upwardly and rearwardly from the forward edge of saidsecond section, said first and second sections being contiguous, and afourth longitudinal section extending upwardly and rearwardly from therear edge of said third section, the free end of said fourth sectionlying in a vertical plane spaced rearwardly from the vertical plane ofthe vertical base of the U- shaped portion, the thickness of said backwall-aligning member being such that said fourth section is resilientand will move forwardly when the free edge of said fourth section isbrought into contact with a wall thereby permitting the fourth sectionof said back wall-aligning member to conform to variations in the planeof the wall.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5 including a second member ofsubstantially uniform thickness, less than the thickness of saidback-aligning member, said second member having a first portionunderlying the second portion of said back wall-aligning member, asecond portion extending forwardly and downwardly from the forward endof said first portion, and a third portion extending rearwardly andupwardly from the forward end of said second portion, said third portionhaving a part thereof contiguous with said second portion and anotherpart thereof contiguous with the third and fourth sections of said backwall-aligning member, the forward end of said second portion of saidsecond member projecting downwardly so that the vertical distancebetween the forward end thereof and the long leg of the U-shaped portionof the back wall-aligning member is less than the vertical distancebetween the short leg and the long leg of said U- shaped portionthereof, the thickness of said second member being such that thecontiguous parts of said second and third portions thereof are flexedupwardly when the end of a countertop is inserted in the U-shapedportion of the back wall-aligning member thereby providing a sealbetween the second member and the top of the counter top.

7. The combination set forth in claim 6 wherein the free upper edge ofsaid fourth portion of the second member is turned over the free edge ofsaid fourth portion of the back wall-aligning member.

8. A counter top construction comprising a substantially vertical wall,a back-aligning member, said member comprising a longitudinallyextending U-shaped portion including a short generally horizontal upperleg, a long generally horizontal lower leg, and a substantially verticalbase connecting the ends of said legs, said member including a portionextending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom, the free end of saidupwardly extending portion prior to mounting said member on said walllying in a vertical plane spaced rearwardly from the vertical plane ofsaid vertical base, said upwardly extending portion being made of amaterial such that it may be flexed to bring the free edge thereof intoalignment with the vertical plane of said vertical base, means formounting said back-aligning member on said wall comprising meansextending through said vertical base of the U-shaped portion thereofthereby bringing said vertical leg into contact with said wall andflexing said portion of the back wall-aligning member to conform tovariations in the wall, and a plurality of counter tops having the rearedges thereof inserted in the U-shaped portion of said backwall-aligning mienitser, the forward edgesof said countertops being inalignment with one another.

9. 1m; counter top construction including a counter top forming acorner, back-aligning members extending upwardlyand rearwardly fromadjacent the rear edges of said counter top and having generallyvertical side edges, and acorner member comprising a first substantiallyhoi'izomat portion, a second upwardly and rearwardly inclined'portionhaving generally vertical surfaces at a right angle to-one another, anda third rearwardly inclined portion extending from the upper end of saidsecond portion, the second upwardly inclined portions of said memberbeing provided with slots along their side edges for receiving thevertical side edges of said back-aligning members.

In a counter top construction, the combination comprising a counter top,a back aligning member comprising a longitudinally extending U-shapedportion for receiving the rear edge of the counter top and a portionextending upwardly and rearwardly from said U-shaped portion,- and anend closing member including a substantially' vertical portion adaptedto close the end of said back-wall aligning member, said end closingmember including a vertical flange extending at a right angle from saidvertical portion and adapted to engage the wall of a room in which thecounter top is positioned and the free upper edge of the upwardly andrearwardly extending portion of the back aligning member, said endclosing member including a horizontal flange extending at a right anglefrom the lower edge of said vertical portion and underlying said countertop, and an upwardly and rearwardly inclinedflange extending from theforward edge of saidvertical port-ion at a generally right angle to saidvertical portionand means forming a slot along the edge of said upwardlyand rearwardly inclined flange into which the upwardly and rearwardlyextending portion of the edge of said back aligning member is inserted.

11. In a counter top construction, the combinatidti comprising a countertop, aback wall aligning member on the rear end of the counter top andhaving a generally flexible portion thereof extending upwardly and rearwardly, a U-shaped sealing strip into which substantially the entirelength of one edge of said counter top extends, and an end cap on theend of said back wall aligning member, said end cap comprising avertical end portion closing the end of the back wall aligning member,means on said end cap engaging said upwardly and rearwardly extendingportion of said back wall aligning member, a horizontal flange on saidend cap for extending below the counter top, the rear end of saidsealing strip being telescopically received within said vertical sectionand hori zontal flange of said end cap.

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